PICTURES: Kate Middleton Shows Off Haircut, Plays Field Hockey in Heels, Plaid

USMagazine, Friday, November 30, 2012, 9:20am (PST)

Kate Middleton always dresses to impress -- even when she's playing field hockey with little kids.

Wearing a stunning blue-and-green tartan coatdress from Q by McQueen, the Duchess of Cambridge showed off her new hair and always-dazzling smile at St. Andrew's preparatory school in Berkshire, England, where she joined the students and teachers in celebrating St. Andrew's Day on Friday, Nov. 30. During the event, Middleton -- who attended St. Andrews from 1986 to 1995 -- even joined in a game of field hockey and gave a speech about her memories of the school.

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"It is such a treat to be back here at St. Andrew's," she said in her remarks (via the Daily Mail). "I absolutely loved my time here. They were some of my happiest years...In fact, I enjoyed it so much that when I had to leave, I told my mother that I was going to come back to be a teacher."

That plan was derailed, of course, when the future Duchess met her Duke, England's Prince William, but Middleton, 30, is still involved with the school in other ways. As part of her visit to her alma mater, where she said she first "realized [her] love of sport," she helped christen the new athletic facilities by playing a bit of field hockey -- in heels!

"I hope that you all enjoy playing sport here as much as I used to and make the most of these incredible facilities," she told the children.

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Incidentally, the Duchess has some incredible facilities of her own to enjoy. After spending the first year of their marriage in a quaint Welsh cottage, Middleton and her husband are planning to set up house in Apartment 1A of London's Kensington Palace, a four-story, 20-room flat undergoing a $1.5 million renovation.

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"They want to bring a child up in a secure environment," a confidant close to the couple told Us Weekly.

"They have been on a high since getting married. It's time for the next step -- Kate is hoping she and William can become parents in 2013."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: PICTURES: Kate Middleton Shows Off Haircut, Plays Field Hockey in Heels, Plaid